Let Sleeping Dragons Lie
by Griffin Stone
Summary: Hiccup goes to explore a cave on the island. Things do not go as well as planned, and the rest of the Riders are left with an unconscious Hiccup and a vague warning.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This would take place sometime early in season one of Race to the Edge. It will be a five parter, with a new part on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.**

* * *

Hiccup put a hand to his chin, studying the candles in front of him. Each was labeled according to the dragon whose flame had lit it: Toothless, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, along with a Terrible Terror and Night Terror.

Beside the candles was a notebook, a charcoal pencil, and the infuriatingly mysterious Dragon Eye atop a stack of books. The notebook was full of notes as to the different images- which varied depending on the lenses and types of dragon flame- shown through the Dragon Eye.

"Now, which one..." Hiccup murmured to himself, running a finger down his notes. His finger stopped at a blank spot. "Ah, I forgot Stormfly's!"

Hiccup picked up one of the candles. Turning the Dragon Eye so it faced the blank spot on the wall, he placed the candle behind it. The candle had burned down a bit, so he had to remove a couple books to make the Dragon Eye level with the flame.

On the wall appeared a jumble of purple images. A familiar-looking shape filled a majority of the image, with images of small, curled up dragons on the lower, right-hand corner. Ancient Viking runes edged the image.

"Why, this is our island!" Hiccup exclaimed to Toothless laying curled against a wall.

The black dragon just grumbled and flicked an ear.

Hiccup laid a hand on the image. He and Toothless had flown over the Edge enough times for him to recognize the aerial view of the Dragon Riders' island. The old runes would take Fishlegs' help to translate, so he focused on the dragons in the corner.

The tiny images had no distinct features, so Hiccup guessed they signified dragons in general. The way that they were curled suggested they were sleeping or nesting. A dark line of purple arched over them, almost like...

"A cave!" Hiccup said. "Maybe it is a dragons' nesting place. I wonder if it is empty? If it was, it would make a great place for a backup stable. What do you think, Toothless?"

Toothless lifted his head, an unimpressed expression on his wide face. He probably was wishing he was in the quiet stable right now.

"Come on, bud, we have to check it out." Hiccup went to the front of his hut and threw open the tall launch door leading to his hut's launch platform, then stopped. "Oh."

It was the middle of the night. Everyone would be asleep, except for one or two of the Night Terrors standing guard.

Hiccup sighed, disappointed. "Guess we will have to wait for morning."

Toothless stood and climbed to the second floor of the hut. He warmed his stone slab with his flames and settled down, making his answer clear.

Hiccup couldn't help but laugh as he climbed the ladder to the second floor. "Okay, okay. We can go in the morning."

* * *

Hiccup woke up with the sun, too excited about his finding to sleep any longer. He harnessed up a grumpy Toothless, then the two headed outside.

Sometimes Astrid was up early as well, but Hiccup could see her launch door still closed. No one else would be awake this early.

"Guess it's just you and me, bud," Hiccup said, climbing into his saddle. "We'll just check it out, see if there is anything interesting. By the time we get back, the others should be up."

Toothless shook off his last bit of sleepiness and gave Hiccup his classic toothless smile. The pair launched into the sky, eager to check out Hiccup's finding.

* * *

When the rest of the Riders woke up, no one could find Hiccup around the Edge. Figuring he had gone to explore some place on the island, they busied themselves with other tasks.

Well, Astrid and Fishlegs did. With Hiccup absent, Snotlout and the twins took it as their cue to do absolutely nothing productive. While Astrid practiced her battle ax moves and Fishlegs trained with Meatlug, Snotlout simply watched and gave "helpful" advice.

"No, Astrid, you need to keep your left foot back."

"Too slow, Meatlug."

"Little to the right, Astrid."

"Fishlegs-"

 _Whack!_

Snotlout froze. Astrid's battle ax had come flying out of nowhere, and was now buried in a wood post right in front of his nose.

"Oops." Astrid walked up to the ax and casually pulled it free. "It slipped."

Snotlout raised his hands and slid behind Hookfang. The giant red dragon rolled his eyes at his Rider.

"Where are the twins, Snotlout?" Fishlegs asked. "You were supposed to be keeping an eye on them."

"Yeah, well, they went to see if they could break a rock in half with their heads," Snotlout said, regaining some of his composure.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they try that last week?"

"Yes, but this time, they are hitting the _same_ rock with _both_ their heads," Snotlout said.

"Right." Astrid shook her head. "As long as that keeps them out of trouble." As she turned back toward the target, something caught her eye. "Hey, there is Hiccup and Toothless."

"Wonder where they have been," Fishlegs said.

"You can ask him when..." Astrid frowned. "What are they doing?"

Rather than come straight to the arena, Toothless was hovering unsteadily over the treetops. Every couple wingbeats, he would drop or veer to the side. When he finally started coming forward, his flight was up-and-down and zig-zagging.

"Showing off, that's what," Snotlout said.

"Hiccup doesn't show off, you do," Fishlegs said.

Astrid squinted. Toothless' eyes were wide, and he was paddling with his paws when he dropped. Toothless never flew like that! Hiccup was sitting strangely in the saddle, with his body slumped forward and head down nearly to Toothless' neck. His metal leg didn't seem to be properly in the stirrup, which was probably why Toothless was flying so weird.

Before Astrid could tell the others that something might be wrong, Toothless let out a loud bellow. He spun upside-down, stalled, and started to fall!

"Hookfang, catch him!" Astrid cried, running for Stormfly.

Snotlout barely had time to climb in the saddle before Hookfang took off. He quickly flew up under Toothless and caught the smaller dragon in his talons.

"Good catch, Hookfang!" Astrid cheered as Stormfly flew them up.

"Snotlout, Snotlout, oi, oi, oi!" Snotlout shouted, pumping his fist.

Astrid rolled her eyes. Just like Snotlout.

Toothless suddenly roared and wrenched himself sideways, breaking Hookfang's grip. Hookfang snatched Toothless just before he could fall again.

Except Hiccup had slipped fully out of the saddle. Toothless had been trying to grab him when Hookfang grabbed him the second time, but missed.

"Hiccup!" Astrid jerked Stormfly to the side. Hiccup landed hard stomach-first across Astrid's lap. Astrid winced sympathetically. That had to hurt.

"Oh, Astrid, Hiccup's just falling for you," Snotlout said to hide his shock at dropping Hiccup.

Astrid glared up and him, then looked at Hiccup. He hadn't moved, and his eyes were closed.

"Hiccup?" Astrid shook his shoulder gently, then harder when she got no response. "Hiccup! Take us down, Stormfly!"

Stormfly squawked and landed as gently as she could. She crouched down so Astrid could jump off. Fishlegs ran over and helped Astrid slide Hiccup off Stormfly and to the ground. Still Hiccup's eyes stayed shut.

"Fishlegs, what is wrong with him?!" Astrid asked, barely hiding her panic.

"I-I don't know. He's breathing fine, and I can't see any injuries on him." Fishlegs ran a hand down Hiccup's arms and legs. "I don't feel any broken bones."

Hookfang placed Toothless on the ground, then landed as well. Toothless gave a roar of distress and bounded to his Rider's side. Crooning sadly, he nudged Hiccup's side. Slowly, Hiccup's eyes opened halfway.

"Hiccup! You're awake!" Astrid didn't even try to hide her relief.

Hiccup didn't seem to hear. He pushed his elbows to the ground, lifting his head slightly. He wasn't looking at anyone, but between Astrid and Fishlegs' heads.

"Bad... dragons," Hiccup said in a whisper, every word an effort. "Stay... a...way."

Hiccup's eyes slipped shut, and Astrid barely had time to catch his head before it hit the ground.


	2. To the Source

A bit later, Astrid was pacing outside Hiccup's hut. Fishlegs was inside, trying to figure out what was wrong with Hiccup. Toothless crouched at the edge of the platform, eyes trained to the east.

Hookfang and Barf and Belch landed on the platform. Snotlout, oddly silent, climbed from the saddle. Tuffnut opened his mouth like he was going to make a joke, then seemed to think better of it. The twin went to slide off their saddles, but butted heads in the process, then fell to the ground in a heap.

"Stop messing around you two." Astrid rarely had the patience for the twins' antics, and definitely didn't now.

"Hey, she started it," Tuffnut said, pointing to Ruffnut. "We had this all figured out. We alternate sides to dismount. Left, right, left, right, repeat. Today was clearly a right day."

Ruffnut glared at her brother. "Not so. Remember yesterday, we landed too close to the cliff, but you still insisted I get off on the right. Right off the cliff!"

"Oh, yeah." Tuffnut smiled at the memory.

Astrid gripped her battle ax even harder, resisting the urge to throw it at the one of the twins' head. Before she lost control, Fishlegs came out of the hut. Toothless rumbled, and squeezed through the door to get inside the hut and go to Hiccup.

"Is he awake?" Astrid asked hopefully.

Fishlegs shook his head. "I don't get it. I can't find any signs of serious injury, and Hiccup isn't showing any symptoms of illness. He's just... asleep."

"So, Hiccup decided to just sleep the day away," Snotlout said annoyingly, but with a hint of desperation. "What's the big deal?"

"The 'big deal' is that no one just goes to sleep while riding a dragon, Snotlout. Not even you," Fishlegs retorted. "Not to mention, staying asleep after falling off and everything else I can think of to wake him up."

"It must have to do with those dragons he mentioned," Astrid said. "Do you think he might have found a new dragon that did that to him?"

"There were a lot of tiny marks on his arms, almost like something stung him multiple times."

"And that could have caused...?"

"It is possible, but I haven't seen any dragons in the Book of Dragons whose sting will put a person to sleep."

"And why wouldn't it affect Toothless?"

"I bet I know," Fishlegs said, relieved to finally have an answer. "I did also notice that Hiccup's armor had tiny dents, like something was unable to puncture it. Whatever attacked Hiccup must not be large enough to pierce armor."

"Or dragon scales," Astrid finished.

Fishlegs nodded. "I am sending a Terror Mail to Gothi. Maybe she has some clue on what is wrong with Hiccup. It could just be a sleeping sickness I have never seen."

"Sleeping sickness?" Ruffnut asked. "Like, you just sleep all day long?"

Fishlegs frowned suspiciously. "Yes."

The twins shared a mischievous grin.

Ruffnut put a hand dramatically to her forehead. "Oh, I'm suddenly not feeling well."

"Me neither." Tuffnut leaned against Ruffnut. "Almost as if I... have caught the same thing as Hiccup."

Simultaneously, the twins collapsed to the floor. Astrid rolled her eyes. She started toward them, but Fishlegs held up an arm to stop her.

"Well, I guess I had better see if the twins really do have what Hiccup has. The first test," Fishlegs said with a sly smile, "is a quick jab with the biggest thorn on the island."

The twins were back on their feet in an instant.

"It's a miracle!" Ruffnut proclaimed.

"We're cured!" Tuffnut said.

Astrid sighed and turned toward Hiccup's hut. "Can I see him?"

"Sure. I have to write to Gothi, and then I will be back," Fishlegs said, walking away.

Astrid went inside the hut, pointedly slamming it shut behind her when Snotlout and the twins started to follow.

* * *

For a moment, Astrid stood still, letting her eyes adjust from the bright sun outside to the candle-lit interior of the hut. Then, she took a deep breath and headed to the ladder.

Hiccup looked so normal laying in his bed, that Astrid hesitated at the edge of the second floor.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup didn't move. Toothless, laying curled beside the bed, lifted his head and moaned softly. Astrid went to Toothless and put a hand on his head.

"Oh, Toothless," Astrid said with a sigh. "Why won't he wake up?"

* * *

It was midday when Hiccup moved.

Astrid was curled up with Toothless, staring at the ceiling. Toothless had his eyes fixed on Hiccup. Suddenly, Toothless rumbled and perked up his ears. Astrid restlessly rolled her head so she could see Hiccup, just as he twitched. Astrid froze, not sure if she had imagined it, but then his whole arm twitched.

Astrid jumped up and ran to his side. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup just sighed, still apparently sound asleep. Toothless, who had followed Astrid, rumbled sadly and prodded Hiccup's limp arm. Hiccup's arm moved slightly, but that was all.

Astrid drooped. She and the other Riders had seen how much Hiccup moved in his sleep on the times the group had camped out. He was always twitching, rolling, and, occasionally, walking in his sleep.

Astrid's expression hardened, and she spun on her heel and stomped toward the front of Hiccup's hut. Toothless stayed where he was.

"Come on, Toothless," she said, a bit more harshly than she intended.

Toothless grumbled, but followed after giving Hiccup one last nudge.

Astrid threw open the door, then jumped when she saw the other Riders and their dragons waiting right outside. They stared at Astrid, as startled as she was by her abrupt appearance.

"Well?" said Fishlegs uncertainly.

"We need to find what did that to him," Astrid said, surprising even herself.

"Uh, I'd rather not end up like Sleeping Sally in there," Snotlout said. He edged backwards when Astrid turned to him.

Fishlegs held an arm up between the pair. "Snotlout does have a point there, Astrid."

"Thank you!"

"But so does Astrid. If we could find the dragon that did that to Hiccup, we may get a better idea on how to treat him."

"If Hiccup couldn't avoid getting stung, how are we supposed to? I mean, he's Hiccup! There's not a dragon he can't tame!" Snotlout said.

Tuffnut raised a finger. "Actually-"

Snotlout cut him off. "You know what I mean!"

"We'll have to make our own armor, something to cover our whole body like dragon's scales," Astrid said.

"How about leather?" Fishlegs suggested.

"That will work," Astrid said, eyes gleaming. "Everyone, start gathering up leather. We are going to need a lot!"

* * *

It took most of the leather on the Edge and a majority of the day, but each of the Riders had a leather outfit that cover their entire body, with small holes for breathing and goggles over their eyes.

"I can barely breath," Snotlout complained.

"Snotlout, you're talking to the wall," Astrid said.

Snotlout didn't miss a beat. "And I can't see."

Astrid shifted from foot to foot and didn't answer. The outfits had been put together in a rush, so they had ended up rather bulky and awkward. She was already sweating under the thick leather, and it was nearly impossible to lift her arms above her shoulders. The breathing holes were covered with a thin cloth to protect the exposed spots, which made the outfit feel stuffy and warm.

But she wasn't about to admit that to Snotlout!

Fishlegs shuffled over. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea. We can barely move in these things, much less defend ourselves from hostile dragons!"

Astrid stubbornly shook her head. "Whether or not the rest of you come, I'm going."

Fishlegs glanced at the darkening sky. "Maybe we should wait until morning."

"And risk the dragons coming after us while we sleep?" Astrid shook her head. "Not a chance!"

Tuffnut- or was it Ruffnut; the suit completely obscured the twins' features- raised their hand. "Perhaps this isn't the best time for this question, but how will we know when we find the dragons?"

Astrid started to answer, then stopped. With the goggles on their faces, it was hard to see any detail, meaning they would have to get pretty close to a dragon before knowing if it was a type they had seen before.

Toothless roared and pointed himself east, the same direction he had been watching earlier. He flared his wings and looked back at the Riders.

"Toothless will lead us," Astrid said.

"I thought he would want to stay here with Hiccup," Fishlegs said.

Toothless rumbled and pointed east again.

"Toothless is the only one who knows where they were attacked. He has to come with us," said Astrid.

"Well, someone had better to stay here with Hiccup," Fishlegs said. Then, without turning, he added, "Put down your hand, Snotlout."

Snotlout, still facing the wall, sheepishly lowered his hand.

Astrid turned to Stormfly. "Can you keep an eye on Hiccup, girl?"

Stormfly squawked nervously and pressed her head to Astrid's chest.

"I'll be fine," Astrid said. "You need to stay here, though. Come get us if anything changes, got it?"

Stormfly squawked once more, then stationed herself at the door of the hut.

"Good girl," Astrid murmured. She stepped up to Toothless, who crouched down for Astrid to mount. Astrid took as deep a breath as the armor would allow. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

* * *

The sun had completely set by the time Toothless landed on a rocky outcropping on the side of a cliff. Luckily, the moon was shining brightly, revealing a rounded entrance to a tunnel.

Astrid peered down the tunnel, but everything was black an arm's length in. She backed away to the other Riders, keeping her eyes on the black hole.

"Well?" Fishlegs asked.

"We will need torches," Astrid said.

Fishlegs handed out torches from his saddlebags, and the dragons lit them. Even then, no one made a move toward the tunnel.

"So... who's going first?" Snotlout asked.

Astrid sighed and took the first steps toward the tunnel. No one else was going to volunteer, so she might as well get it over with.

Toothless' head shot up. He bellowed, then threw himself over the Riders' heads to knock Astrid flat. She hit the ground hard, the air _whooshing_ out of her lungs.

The other dragons began to roar. They grabbed their Riders, tucking them under wings or behind themselves. They seemed to be shielding the Riders from the tunnel.

Astrid finally managed to suck in a deep breath. "Toothless, wha-"

A distant rustling sound reached Astrid's ears, silencing her. The sound was similar to flapping wings. It was coming from the tunnel and getting closer!

"Stay down!" Astrid shouted to the other Riders, who had been trying to get around their dragons.

Short, sharp squeaks joined in with the rustling, then several small black somethings burst out of the tunnel. They were followed closely by more, too many to count. The creatures clumped together, milling over the Riders and their dragons.

Toothless shot a couple of plasma blasts into the group, and the other dragons followed suit. The tiny creatures began screeching and dived down toward the Riders.

The Riders shouted as what little they could see was blotted out by flapping wings. They swung their weapons and the dragons swung with paws and tails, but the creatures would only dodge away and return to the attack.

Astrid swung her ax broad-side, wondering if the high squealing cry was just her imagination. No, the sounds were getting louder, more animated. She felt a tug around her waist, and her gaze dropped. Horror filled her when she saw a sliver of light in the armor and tiny claws gripped an edge of the leather wrappings.

"They are undoing the armor!" Astrid shouted as she frantically swatted where the gap was.

At first, there was no response and Astrid was afraid the creatures were making too much noise for the others to hear. But then Toothless roared.

Toothless scraped off the creatures with his wings, then wrapped his wings around Astrid before the creatures could cover her again. Barf and Belch caught on and did the same for the twins. Hookfang enfolded Snotlout in one wing and, in a surprising show of thoughtfulness, tucked Fishlegs under his other wing since Meatlug's were too small.

For a long, terrifying few minutes, the Riders were trapped in the darkness of the dragons' wings. They could only hear the squeaks of the attacking creatures and the defending roars of their dragons. Finally, the sounds faded and the dragon's lifted their wings.

Astrid crept out from under Toothless' wing, battle ax at the ready. Whatever had attacked them, however, was long gone. Astrid checked over Toothless, relieved to find no injuries on him.

The other Riders emerged from their hiding places. Astrid gasped when she saw Fishlegs' armor had become halfway undone.

"Don't worry, I didn't get stung or bit," Fishlegs said. "It started to unwind after Hookfang grabbed me."

Hookfang rumbled angrily.

"For which I am very glad!" Fishlegs rushed to say, sliding away.

"What was that?" Snotlout sounded shaky. Or maybe it was just an echo caused by the armor.

"I didn't get a good look at them, but they looked like bats to me," Astrid said. "Fishlegs?"

"They were dragons," Fishlegs said without hesitation. "They had four legs and too narrow of a face for a bat."

"Really? I thought Terrible Terrors were the smallest dragons out there."

"Only that we know of," Fishlegs said. "But I am sure there are plenty of dragons none of us have ever seen. Especially at that size."

"Well, these are definitely a new kind." Astrid glanced at the sky, but all signs of the tiny dragons were gone. "We have to figure out how to catch one."

Snotlout, still hunched under Hookfang, vigorously shook his head. "And end up like Hiccup? No thanks!"

"If these new dragons are the ones who made Hiccup like he is, we need to catch one to study and find a cure," Fishlegs said.

Snotlout stood and, despite the bulky armor, crossed his arms. "How are we supposed to even find those tiny things? We didn't see which way they went."

As one, the dragons turned their heads in the same direction.

"We follow our dragons," Astrid said, climbing onto Toothless.

"Well, I'm protesting!" Snotlout plopped onto the ground.

Astrid sighed. While Hiccup could usually get Snotlout to follow orders without threats or a fight, Astrid had other means.

"Toothless?" Astrid said.

Toothless rumbled mischievously. He launched and snatched Snotlout from the ground.

Snotlout yelped. "Hey, what are you doing?! Hookfang!"

Hookfang merely watched as his Rider was lifted ten feet off the ground. He gave a lazy yawn.

"If we want to find those dragons, we might need to trick them into coming to us," Astrid said. "For that, we need bait."

Snotlout stared up at Astrid for a moment before realization struck. He immediately started thrashing and yelling. "Okay, okay! Protest is over! I don't want to be bait!"

Astrid smirked and signaled Toothless to drop Snotlout. Hookfang grumbled and stepped sideways. Snotlout crashed into the saddle with a grimace. He rubbed his rear end and glared up at Astrid.

"Let's go, guys," Astrid said, ignoring Snotlout.

The rest of the Riders mounted and the dragons flew after Toothless and Astrid in the direction the dragons had gone.


	3. Search and Ambush

Stormfly wanted nothing more than to be with her Rider, protecting her. But, Astrid had wanted her to stay with Hiccup, so stay she would.

Stormfly was crouched at the hut's window, waiting for a sign that her Rider was returning, when she heard rustling behind her and turned.

Hiccup was sitting up in bed, one leg slung over the side as if he was getting ready to stand. Except his eyes were closed, and his breathing too deep and steady for him to be awake.

Stormfly stood. She walked over to the bed and nudged Hiccup.

Hiccup pushed her muzzle away. "Not now, Toothless," he murmured.

Stormfly squawked, concerned. Hiccup was still sleeping. Sure enough, after a moment, Hiccup sighed and laid down again.

Stormfly watched the boy for a moment, making sure he wasn't going to start moving again, then settled down at the edge of the bed.

* * *

Astrid lifted her goggles to rub her eyes and look back at the others. Aside from Snotlout's ranting about how bad of an idea this was, they were silent. They all were jumping at the slightest noise, and basically flying blind in the cloudy night.

"Land!" Astrid called back, cutting Snotlout off.

The dragons all dropped and landed in a broad meadow Astrid had pointed out. They formed a circle, eyes and ears alert for any sound. The Riders undid the mask over their faces to better hear each other.

"We need a better plan to find the dragons," Astrid said.

"Oh!" Fishlegs exclaimed and raised a hand. Astrid thought he had a plan, but all he said was, "I think we should call them Sleep Stingers!"

Astrid stared at him for a moment. "Whatever you say Fishlegs. Any ideas on how to catch them?"

Fishlegs' face fell. "No..."

"Bait!" Tuffnut and Ruffnut yelled, grinning at Snotlout.

"Oh, no, I refuse!"

"We aren't going to use Snotlout as bait," Astrid said before Snotlout could get Hookfang to fly off. "I think the best plan is to split up in groups of two and search the island systematically."

"Split up?!" Snotlout's voice rose an octave.

"Yes, come here."

Astrid slid off of Toothless. She stumbled when she landed, but the other Riders were too busy dismounting to notice. Astrid caught herself on Toothless, who rumbled in concern.

"I'm fine," Astrid said quietly.

Astrid walked quickly to the center of the dragon circle and knelt before her legs could give out again. Fishlegs noticed her quick, jerky move!ents, but Astrid starting talking before he could ask.

"We need to split up into two groups and search the island systematically," Astrid said. She picked up a stick and started drawing the rough shape of the Edge in the dirt, then drew a line down the middle. "Fishlegs, you and the twins search the east side, Snotlout and I will take the west."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, splitting up?" Fishlegs asked.

Snotlout gave Fishlegs a surprised look. "Well, what do you know, Fishface? I actually agree with you on this."

Fishlegs rolled his eyes at the over-used nickname, then addressed Astrid again. "What if one of us gets stung? That would leave only one Rider in the group."

Astrid tapped the dirt with the stick. She blinked hard a couple times and shook her head. She felt odd, sort of light-headed, and didn't realize Fishlegs had spoken.

"Astrid?"

Astrid started and looked up. "Sorry, what?"

"Are you okay?" Fishlegs asked.

"Of course, I am. I was just thinking."

Fishlegs narrowed his eyes, but knew that pushing Astrid about why she was so distracted wouldn't help. "I was just thinking, maybe the two groups shouldn't be so far apart?"

Astrid nodded. "Go on."

"We could go back-and-forth across the island, taking routes that will let us pass by each other frequently," Fishlegs said. "That way, if one group gets attacked, the other will be close."

"Yes, that will work," Astrid said eagerly.

"What will work?" Tuffnut asked abruptly from her side, making her jump.

The twins had been wandering around the circle, unable to see due to the dark and the goggles that they hadn't removed for some reason. They had only just found the group.

"Fishlegs will explain. Mount up," Astrid said.

* * *

Stormfly had never really noticed how much of a restless sleeper Hiccup could be. But in the last three hours, he had rolled out of bed twice, carried on four separate conversations -two of them at once-, tried to walk away once, and sat up or waved a limb too many times to count.

Stormfly was currently perched on the headboard of Hiccup's bed. She had her wings stretched down on either side of the bed to hopefully prevent any more ventures.

Hiccup murmured in his sleep, fitfully twitching his legs in the blanket that had long since tangled them. His pillow was someplace under the bed.

Stormfly squawked. Her eyes fell on a candle on the wall beside the bed. Darkness didn't affect Stormfly's eyesight, but she knew that some of the Vikings on Berk liked to keep candles lit during the night.

It was actually an old habit from the times that dragons were Berk's enemies. The Vikings would have to sometimes get up in the middle of the night due to an attack, and having their houses already lit made the process much easier.

Stormfly didn't realize this, but she did know that the Vikings couldn't see in the dark like dragons. Maybe that was why Hiccup wouldn't lay still.

Stormfly shot a small blast of fire at the candle, and the room was filled with a soft, warm light. Hiccup sighed in his sleep and finally settled. Stormfly squawked and folded her wings, pleased with herself for helping Hiccup.

Something in the lower level of the hut caught Stormfly's eye. There was a purple-ish glow on one of the walls.

Stormfly cocked her head. After checking that Hiccup was still laying peacefully, she hopped off the bed and made her way to the first floor.

The Dragon Eye had been left on the stack of books. A bit of the light from the candle above had been caught in the lens, and was casting a vague image on the wall.

Stormfly chirped and lit a flame in her mouth to make the image clearer. She blinked and shuffled her wings excitedly at the familiar shape of the Edge.

* * *

"Anything?" Astrid asked, pulling Toothless into a hover beside the other Dragon Riders.

Fishlegs shook his head. "Nothing."

Astrid sighed. The group had just finished a search of the island from the sky, but there hadn't been any sign of the Sleep Stingers. "It will be light soon. Maybe we should-"

Hookfang bellowed and whipped around. Meatlug and Barf and Belch began roaring, while Toothless opened his mouth in preparation of a plasma blast.

Astrid caught sight of a black blur out of the corner of her eye. "Look out!" she yelled to the others.

Sleep Stingers zipped up from the trees to form a circle around the Riders and dragons. It was an ambush.

Astrid yanked out her ax as the Sleep Stingers rushed toward them. Suddenly, it was like the cave all over again. The dragons roared in frustration as each of their attacks were evaded, their Riders swinging but failing to hit anything.

"They're too fast!" Fishlegs whimpered.

"Hey, there's one on your head!" Ruffnut exclaimed before enthusiastically whacking her brother's head.

Tuffnut shook his head, then focused on Ruffnut. "You, too!"

The twins took turns hitting each other's heads, even- Astrid noticed- when there wasn't a Sleep Stinger there. Snotlout was waving his arms and ax around, yelling something indistinguishable. Meatlug and Toothless hovered back-to-back, but even with them and their Riders, the Sleep Stingers still managed to get between them.

"This is hopeless!" Astrid yelled over the Sleep Stingers' squeaks. She hurriedly brushed away a tiny dragon she felt pulling at the armor on her back. "We should just grab one and go!"

"What do... you think... I'm trying... to do?" Fishlegs panted as yet another Sleep Stinger slipped from his grasp.

A wave of dizziness hit Astrid just then, and her ax lowered for a moment. She felt a jerk at her shoulder, then cool air rushed across her skin.

"My armor!" Astrid cried, reaching up to where it had been pulled free.

Toothless gave a fierce roar, then dove. The Riders' dragons followed his example, temporarily breaking free of the Sleep Stingers.

"Did they get you?!" Fishlegs yelled.

"No." Astrid looked up. "They're coming!"

The Sleep Stingers all tipped into a dive after the Riders. The Riders' dragons tensed in preparation.

A roar from off to the side made Astrid jump. Great, just what they needed: another dragon!

Spikes came flying from the darkness through the middle of the Sleep Stingers, who squealed and broke formation from the sudden attack. A burst of flame confused them further, then a familiar dragon flew into view.

"Stormfly!" Astrid exclaimed, partially glad for her interference, but fearful when she saw her dragon rider-less. What did that mean about Hiccup?

Toothless, Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch rallied at the Sleep Stingers' confusion. They joined Stormfly in her attack, driving the Sleep Stingers further apart. And the more they were separated, the less they seemed keen on attacking. Soon enough, the Sleep Stingers were darting away from the fight.

"We have to catch one!" Fishlegs cried, suddenly remembering the team's original intent. He started off in pursuit, but Toothless cut of Meatlug.

"Not right now," Astrid said. "Stormfly is here, but Hiccup isn't with her. What if something has happened?"

Fishlegs glanced at the retreating Sleep Stingers, then nodded reluctantly. The dragons turned and began to speed back to the Clubhouse.


	4. What the Eye Said

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter here. The final chapter will be longer, though, i promise!**

 **Stormfly was actually my favorite character to write in this story.**

* * *

The launch door was still open from Stormfly leaving, so Toothless landed right inside. Astrid jumped off almost before he had even fully touched down and dashed up the stairs, yanking off armor from around her face as she did so. Stormfly squawked as Toothless leaped spryly to the second level, landing the same time that Astrid reached the top.

The bed was empty.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelped. She spun around to look down as the other Riders ran in. "He's gone!"

"He recovered?" Fishlegs asked.

"He ditched us!" Snotlout exclaimed at the same.

Stormfly gave the frantic Riders an unimpressed look, them flapped up to the second level. She leaned over the bed, then picked something up from the floor on the side of the bed Astrid couldn't see.

It was Hiccup. Still sound asleep.

"Oh, he just rolled out of bed," Astrid said with a weak laugh as Stormfly replaced the restless Rider. Her legs shook with relief, and she sat on the edge of the bed before the others could notice.

Fishlegs sighed with relief. Snotlout tried to act inconspicuous as he sidled out of the hut. The twins pulled off their goggles and gave each other confused expressions.

"Wouldn't Hiccup being gone be more of a cause of relief?" Tuffnut asked.

"Maybe Astrid's happy about this," Ruffnut suggested.

"Yes, because Hiccup was the only thing standing between her and leadership," Tuffnut said.

Ruffnut's eyes widened. "It's tyranny!"

Astrid interrupted before the twins' conspiracy theories could go any further. "Hiccup's fine, so why did Stormfly come to us?"

Everyone turned to Stormfly, who drew herself up. She hopped back to the first level, then nudged the Dragon Eye sitting on the table. She opened her mouth to produce a low flame, casting the island's image on the wall.

"What is it, girl?" Astrid asked.

Fishlegs unraveled part of his armor to see better. "Hey, it's the Edge! Hiccup must have worked out a new combination last night in the Eye. Come look!"

"I can see it," Astrid said without standing. Her legs were still feeling shaky.

Fishlegs squinted at the ancient runes. "The information here isn't about the island, though, it's about a dragon!"

Tuffnut laughed and pointed at the image. "What a coincidence!"

"What?" Fishlegs asked, not really paying attention.

"This shows dragons in a cave exactly were we found the Sleep Stingers!"

Fishlegs focused on Tuffnut. "What was that?"

Tuffnut pointed to the tiny, curled up dragons. "See?"

Fishlegs eyes widened. "Of course!"

"Of course, of course." Tuffnut crossed his arms, frowned, then turned to Ruffnut. "What's he talking about?"

Ruffnut shrugged. "You got me."

Fishlegs ignored their ramblings and turned to look up at Astrid. "This is telling us about the Sleep Stingers!"

"Really?" Astrid stood.

Toothless rumbled when he saw how wobbly Astrid was, but only stayed close to her as she hurried down the stairs.

"Does it mention a cure?" Astrid asked.

"Let's see... Stealth Class... size small..." Fishlegs trailed off as he became lost in his translating. "Hey, this says they only come out at night! Sunlight and bright lights are painful to them."

Glancing out the open door, Astrid saw the sun starting to peek over the horizon. Feeling safer and knowing that it would be pointless to urge Fishlegs to translate faster, Astrid sat down and busied herself with removing her bulky armor. The others eagerly followed suit.

After several minutes of muttering to himself, Fishlegs turned to face the others. "The good news is, the venom won't permanently affect Hiccup, and there is a cure."

Astrid leaned forward. "Really? Can you make it?"

"Yes... but I also need some of the Sleep Stingers' venom to make it," Fishlegs said.

"You said they only come out at night, right? Meaning they will be sleeping now. We could find one before they wake up, and bring it here," Astrid said.

"Unfortunately, the Sleep Stingers are a bigger issue right now," Fishlegs held up his hands when Astrid glared. "It's true! The Sleep Stingers are supposed to spend years just sleeping in their cave, then come out briefly to feed before going back."

"How is that a problem? We know where their nest is. Trust me, no one will do like what Hiccup brilliantly did and wake them up," Snotlout said sarcastically.

"The problem is, Hiccup and Toothless must have woken them up too early. The Eye says that if they are woken up before their time, they are more vicious and won't go back to nesting for some time." Fishlegs nervously drummed his fingers on the table. "We need to figure out how to get them back to their nest and sleeping again, or else we will have do be dealing with them for days."

The Riders fell silent.

"So... how do we do that?" Astrid finally asked.

"The Eye doesn't say anything directly, but suggests getting them to the caves and maybe blocking them in so they will calm down by themselves."

"Okay, get them to chase us, that shouldn't be too hard," Astrid said.

Snotlout immediately stepped sideways. "I'm not going to be bait."

Astrid rolled her eyes and stood. "Snotlout, you aren't... going to be..." She blinked and wobbled on her feet. "Be..." Then Astrid's eyes slipped shut and she toppled forward.


	5. Finding the Cure

Stormfly squawked and jumped over to catch her Rider by the shirt collar before Astrid could hit the floor. She then laid Astrid down gently as the other Riders rushed over.

"Astrid? Astrid, what's wrong?" Fishlegs demanded.

Astrid's eyelids fluttered open. She stared at Fishlegs for a moment before asking, "What happened?"

"I don't know. You just passed out."

Astrid waved the others away and tried to sit up, but found she couldn't. She flopped back onto the floor, panic in her eyes.

"I can't move my legs," Astrid said.

Fishlegs' eyes widened, then he glanced over his shoulder to where the Dragon Eye image had been.

"Astrid, have you felt light-headed and dizzy for the last few hours?" Fishlegs asked.

"Yes," Astrid muttered, not liking being unable to stand.

"One of the Sleep Stingers must have stung you at some point," Fishlegs said. "The symptoms are the same as what the Dragon Eye says. You weren't stung enough times to be put right to sleep, but once is still enough to eventually cause it."

Astrid's hand went to her waist. "When we first fought the Sleep Stingers. My armor came a bit undone, but I didn't think I had been stung."

Fishlegs lifted Astrid's hand to check. Just above her belt line was a single pinprick.

"Yeah, they got you," Fishlegs said.

"Great," Astrid muttered. She shoved her hands against the floor, managing to sit up this time.

Fishlegs leaned forward, hands out in front of him. "Woah, woah! What do you think you are doing?"

"I'm going with you," Astrid said, as if it were obvious.

"No, you are going to stay here." Fishlegs gulped when Astrid glared at him, but remained firm. "Your condition is only going to get worse as time goes on. I don't know how you stayed on Toothless this whole time!"

"But, the Sleep Stingers!" Astrid protested. "You'll need all the help you can get!"

"We'll be fine, Astrid," Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, leave everything to me," Snotlout interjected. "I have this whole thing covered."

Astrid fell back with a moan, hand coming up to cover her face. "Thanks, Snotlout. I feel a lot better now," she said, completely sarcastic.

The rest of the day was spent in resting and coming up with a plan to get the Speed Stingers to their cave. Which meant Snotlout and the twins throwing out as many crazy ideas they could think of, and Fishlegs rejecting them one after another.

Astrid tried to help out, but it was getting harder and harder for her to think straight. She sat up in the cot the twins had brought to Hiccup's hut for as long as she could, but eventually she was too fuzzy-headed to do even that and was forced to lay down.

It was early evening when Fishlegs gave up on Snotlout or the twins coming up with a plan that didn't involve something being smashed or crushed.

"This is what we are going to do," Fishlegs said, cutting off the twins' explanation that involved entire flaming trees and a net. "We need to go out there and see if we can find the Sleep Stingers before they start flying for the day. We'll need to make it so the only way they can fly is back to the cave, then we can chase them that way as soon as they wake up."

The twins looked at each other and shrugged. Fishlegs hadn't mentioned breaking anything, but they were pretty sure they could convince Fishlegs that something needed broken.

"Who made you leader?" Snotlout asked, determined to be annoying.

"After Hiccup and Astrid, I'm next in charge," Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, we've seen how that can go," Snotlout muttered.

Fishlegs scowled, but didn't respond. He had the only logical plan and Snotlout knew it, he just would never admit it.

"We need to go right now, so we can find the Sleep Stingers," Fishlegs said, turning.

"Wait."

Fishlegs spun to face Astrid when he heard her quiet murmur. Astrid's eyes were barely open as she struggled to sit up.

"You aren't going with us, Astrid, and that's final," Fishlegs said firmly.

"Not me. Stormfly," Astrid murmured. "Take all the dragons."

"But who will be here to watch over you and Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.

"You're taking care of the Sleep Stingers. We'll be fine." Astrid's eyes closed again, but she didn't stop talking. "You'll need all the help you can get."

Fishlegs hesitated, then nodded. "Alright, Astrid."

"Night Terrors," Astrid adds in a voice that is barely audible.

"Yes, we'll take them, too," Fishlegs assures her. "You just rest."

Astrid didn't respond, having fallen fully to sleep. Although Fishlegs doubted she would be disturbed by the Riders talking, he motioned for Snotlout and the twins to follow him outside. There, he explained his plan.

The twins would gather the Night Terrors and have them spread out across the island to search for the Sleep Stingers. Snotlout and Fishlegs would find any of the other dragons on the island that had been tamed, and recruit them to help.

"Let's go," Fishlegs said, once he was done explaining and started replacing his armor. "We have a lot of ground to cover in a very short time."

For once, Snotlout and the twins didn't argue. The gravity of the situation had finally sunk in enough for them to follow Fishlegs' leading.

* * *

Fishlegs frowned at the nearly-set sun, as if he could make the day last any longer. He, Snotlout, and a dozen mostly-tame dragons had been combing the island without luck.

Meatlug grunted nervously, and Fishlegs gave her an absent pat. Toothless had decided to not allow any of the other Riders ride him, and had taken his search to the forest floor. Fishlegs hadn't seen him since.

Barf and Belch flew up to Fishlegs, with a couple of Night Terrors flanking them.

"No signs of the Sleep Stingers," Ruffnut reported.

"We've checked the entire island," Fishlegs moaned. "Where could they be?"

"Any chance they might have, you know, moved to another island?" Snotlout asked hopefully.

"The Eye said the Sleep Stingers are not migratory," Fishlegs said. "They should only really be awake for a day or two of the year, so that's no time to move around much."

"In that case, I suggest we go migratory and leave," Snotlout said.

"We still need to cure for Hiccup and Astrid," Fishlegs said.

Snotlout opened his mouth to retort, but there was a roar from below.

The dragons turned and saw Toothless. He was perched in a tree, as close to the top as he could go. Once he had their attention, he started scrambling down the tree.

"Maybe he found them!" Fishlegs said excitedly as he followed Toothless to the forest floor.

When the Riders' dragons reached the ground, Toothless started pawing at a hole in the ground. He rumbled and looked at Fishlegs meaningfully.

It didn't take Fishlegs long to catch on. "Oh, the Sleep Stingers must have burrowed underground to stay hidden and get away from the sun!"

Snotlout peered into the hole. "I don't see anything. Hookfang!"

"No, don't!" Fishlegs protested before Hookfang could light up the hole. "If we wake them up now, we won't be able to get them headed the right way." He glanced up. "Now come on, we have a lot of work to do."

* * *

Stormfly was on guard near the hole when the first Sleep Stinger exited. She chirped and hunkered down as the tiny dragons slowly emerged and stretched. It took some time for every Sleep Stinger to emerge, and by that time, the ground was black with them.

Stormfly waited a moment. She could see Snotlout and Hookfang off to her right, and a friendly wild Nadder to her left.

She roared and shot a line of her tail spikes at the Sleep Stingers. At her signal, Hookfang and the Nadder rushed forward in a burst of flame.

The Sleep Stingers squealed in fright and sped off in the one direction that no attack was coming from.

As the Sleep Stingers fled, Stormfly, Hookfang, and the wild Nadder flew after them. Any time the Sleep Stingers seemed to be preparing to go on the attack themselves, the pursuers would discourage them with flames and tail spikes. Night Terrors stayed to the sides, jumping out at the Sleep Stingers if they tried to divert from the path.

The group moved quickly through the forest, the Sleep Stingers becoming more frantic with any moment.

Snotlout narrowed his eyes. Soon, the Sleep Stingers would have to be turned to head in the direction of the cave. That job belonged to the twins, but whether or not they would succeed was admittedly iffy.

Suddenly, Barf and Belch dove from the sky. Barf spewed out a curved line of gas, then Belch lit it up.

The Sleep Stinger squealed at the wall of flames, then turned off to the left. Snotlout and the twins cheered, then continued their pursuit.

Soon, they reached the cliffside where the Sleep Stingers' nest was. As the Sleep Stingers reached the tunnel, Toothless and the other tamed Nadders came from the forest to join in fire blasts that encouraged the Sleep Stingers to take refuge in their nest. Once the Sleep Stingers were inside, Snotlout shouted for Fishlegs.

Meatlug and a couple wild Gronkles appeared from where they had been hiding in the rocks. Working quickly, they shoved some boulders forward so that they sealed up the tunnel. Shrill squeaks came from the blocked tunnel as the Sleep Stingers realized they were now trapped.

The dragons drew back and watched the sky nervously. If there were other exits or if the group of Sleep Stingers could move the boulder, they would be right back where they started.

After a few moments, however, no Sleep Stingers appeared, and the group relaxed.

"They won't be getting out of there anytime soon," Fishlegs said.

"Um, what about getting some of their venom to make a cure," Snotlout asked.

Tuffnut clapped his hands to his face. "Oh, no! He doesn't want Hiccup or Astrid to wake up ever again!"

"Fishlegs is the tyrant!" Ruffnut proclaimed.

"We are still going to get the venom," Fishlegs said in annoyance. "It will just be best if we wait until they are asleep."

The twins immediately calmed down, only to start arguing about who was going to go inside the Sleep Stingers' nest.

"I will do it!" Fishlegs interrupted.

Snotlout narrowed his eyes. "Well, don't get stung, because Hookfang and I are not going in after you."

At the exact same time, the twins pointed to Snotlout and yelled, "Tyrant!"

* * *

Confident that the Sleep Stingers wouldn't be able to get away, the Riders and their dragons headed back to the edge to await daylight.

Toothless headed straight to Hiccup to lay at his Rider's side and pick him up every time he rolled out of bed.

Stormfly went to Astrid. Astrid's eyes opened briefly, but she was too tired to pet or speak to her dragon, and her eyes closed again soon after.

Fishlegs started preparing the cure for Hiccup and Astrid. He busied Snotlout and the twins with gathering ingredients -and other errands that were pointless, but kept them out of trouble.

When daylight finally arrived, Fishlegs started gathering the supplies he would need: a blanket to wrap the Sleep Stinger in if necessary, a jar for the venom, and a net.

Snotlout and the twins had predictably disappeared as soon as Fishlegs announced he would be leaving soon.

Fishlegs only shook his head at the absence of Riders, and threw his supplies into Meatlug's saddlebags, then climbed on. Meatlug was about to take off, when Toothless bounded out of the hut.

"Toothless, what is it?" Fishlegs asked. He glanced at the hut. "Is it Hiccup?"

Toothless rumbled reassuringly, then stood beside Meatlug.

"You want to go with us?"

Toothless crooned, then hopped and glided to the ground below. He broke into a run as he headed for the forest.

"I guess that's a yes."

* * *

Fishlegs was relieved to find the tunnel still blocked up and silent. After a moment's hesitation -it was possible the Sleep Stingers had set up another ambush- Fishlegs motioned for Meatlug and Toothless to move the boulders slightly.

The group stood back and waited. No Sleep Stingers came flying out, and the no sound was heard.

"Well, here goes," Fishlegs said, approaching the tunnel.

Toothless jumped in front of Fishlegs and led the way. Fishlegs was greatly relieved. It was too great a risk to light a torch, but Toothless could see in the dark. He kept close the the black dragon, and Meatlug followed in the rear.

The tunnel turned sharply several times, which had to be how the Sleep Stingers were never bothered by the sun, before straightening.

Fishlegs wasn't sure how long they had been walking before Toothless rumbled and halted. Without the sound of walking, Fishlegs became aware of another sound: breathing.

Fishlegs fought to keep himself under control, but it wasn't easy when he could hear the whole group of Sleep Stingers breathe. At least the steady rhythm seemed to indicate that the Sleep Stingers had fallen asleep.

While Fishlegs was calming down, he heard some scuffling sounds from Toothless, then felt his blunt muzzle on his arm. Sensing that Toothless wanted to give him something, Fishlegs reached out a hand.

A small, warm, scaly body was placed gently in his hand. A Sleep Stinger!

Panic flared in Fishlegs before he realized that this Sleep Stinger was also asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Reaching back with his free hand, Fishlegs asked quietly, "Meatlug, can you give me the jar, girl?"

He heard Meatlug snorting excitedly, then the smooth jar was pressed into his hand.

Fishlegs pulled out the cork of the jar with his mouth, then rested the jar in the crook of his arm, while he ran his hands gently down the Sleep Stinger's body until he felt the tail.

Fishlegs took a deep breath as he put the small tail on the side of the jar and tapped a couple times. He didn't need much, just a few drops, but in the darkness he couldn't tell if he was getting even a drop.

Finally, Fishlegs' nerves couldn't take any more, and he held the Sleep Stinger out for Toothless to take and return to its spot. Then, he turned and walked as quickly as Meatlug would go in the darkness.

The group rounded one last turn, then burst into the daylight. Panting even though they hadn't run, Fishlegs whirled around.

No Sleep Stingers. Good, they had remained undisturbed.

Fishlegs checked the jar and was delighted to find a the venom fully covering the bottom. There was enough for ten cures!

Fishlegs corked the jar, than climbed onto Meatlug. He had already decided to leave the tunnel open. As long as the Sleep Stingers were left alone, they wouldn't go on the rampage again. Besides, he didn't want to trap the Sleep Stingers for when the next time that they were supposed to wake up and hunt.

* * *

Once he got to the Edge, Fishlegs directed Snotlout and the twins -they had been waiting with feigned innocence when he returned- to bring Hiccup and Astrid to his hut while he finished up the cure.

It didn't take long for Fishlegs to finish up. He hurriedly gave the cure to Hiccup and Astrid, then he, Snotlout, and the twins sat back to wait.

Astrid opened her eyes within a few minutes. She was confused at finding herself in Fishlegs' hut with Stormfly and the Riders -excluding Hiccup- watching her, but then the memories flooded back.

"You did it?" Astrid asked.

Fishlegs smiled proudly. "We did it."

Astrid experimentally sat up and swung her legs off the cot. Stormfly squawked and pressed up against her, making Astrid smile and pet her.

"I'm fine, girl." Astrid's expression turned serious when she saw Hiccup still unconscious. "What about Hiccup?"

"Well, he did have more venom in his system than you, and for longer," Fishlegs said. "It will just take a little longer for him."

* * *

It was nearly a half hour before Hiccup rolled his head and frowned. Astrid stood from her seat in the cot, hopeful that Hiccup was waking up for real, and not just moving in his sleep.

Hiccup's eyes crept halfway open. He stared blearily at Astrid and Toothless standing over him, then his eyes widened and he jolted onto his elbows.

"You won't believe what Toothless and I found!" Hiccup exclaimed, his speech slightly slurred.

"Woah, calm down, we know all about it," Fishlegs said, trying to press Hiccup back down.

"No, I-"

Astrid cut Hiccup off, "We know about the dragons, and we took care of them. You were stung, but Fishlegs made up the cure."

Hiccup blinked a couple times, trying to process the new information. Toothless nudged his arm, and Hiccup absently began petting him.

"What were they?" Hiccup asked, his voice becoming clearer with every word. "I think they were dragons, but they went crazy, and my torch blew out."

"They were a new type of dragon!" Fishlegs exclaimed, excitement taking over and not allowing anyone else to talk.

Astrid smiled and shook her head as Fishlegs explained everything they had learned about Sleep Stingers. Soon enough, Hiccup had joined in the conversation, asking for more detail on parts Fishlegs had skipped.

They might be discovering new things every day, but some things never changed.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, so many readers and reviews! It really inspires me to keep writing!**

 **...though it may be a bit. ;)**


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